John Perry Barlow passed away recently on February 7 2018. He was an American poet, cattle rancher and a cyberlibertarian. John Barlow was one of the great visionaries of the web as we know it today, he believed that the internet could solve all of humanity’s problems without causing more.
Barlow’s lasting legacy is that he devoted his life to making the internet into “a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth … a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity”.
When Barlow was 30, he drew up a list of what he called the Principles of Adult Behavior. These reflect a series of instructions for turning life’s difficulties into challenges, an adventurous re-framing for what it means to grow up.
1. Be patient. No matter what.
2. Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, not blame. Say nothing of another you wouldn’t say to him.
3. Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.
4. Expand your sense of the possible.
5. Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.
6. Expect no more of anyone than you can deliver yourself.
7. Tolerate ambiguity.
8. Laugh at yourself frequently.
9. Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.
10. Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.
11. Give up blood sports.
12. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Don’t risk it frivolously.
13. Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)
14. Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.
15. Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.
16. Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.
17. Praise at least as often as you disparage.
18. Admit your errors freely and soon.
19. Become less suspicious of joy.
20. Understand humility.
21. Remember that love forgives everything.
22. Foster dignity.
23. Live memorably.
24. Love yourself.
25. Endure.
Get A Copy Of The 25 Principles Of Adult Behavior
To celebrate the life of John Barlow we have released a special version of our poster and canvas products. You can now get an incredible canvas print of the 25 principles of adult behavior or a printed poster of the 25 principles of adult behavior
